Tropical Green Smoothie — I promise this healthy green smoothie doesn’t taste healthy at all! It tastes like a virgin piña colada that just happens to be bright green and good for you.
The BEST Green Smoothie Recipe
Sometimes strange looking things taste amazing. If you close your eyes, it tastes like a beautiful, tropical, sunny beach vacation.
You’re thinking, no it doesn’t. It tastes like bitter, blended up green stuff. But I assure you, it does not. Celery, kale, mizuna greens, chard, dandelion greens, and cucumbers have very strong and dominating flavors, which is why I don’t use them in smoothies. Spinach, however, is a different story.
I find spinach to be the leafy green equivalent of iceberg lettuce; totally mild and harmless. Plus, when it’s coupled with a handful of frozen mango, pineapple, banana, almond milk, vanilla, and a bit of sweetener, you can’t even taste it.
I promise. Even though this is healthy, it doesn’t taste it. It tastes like a green Pina Colada.
The color is much more jarring than the flavor. Sometimes plants are unexpectedly bold and vibrant in all their chlorophyll-filled glory.
My 6-year old bounces off the walls after drinking one of these healthy green smoothies. Some parents claim their children get hyper after too much sugar. Well, mine can eat chocolate chip cookies and candy and not really do much. But give her one of these green smoothies, and she’s talking a mile a minute, running around the house, laughing, and giggling.
I’m glad to see plants have that effect on her. They really are so powerful.
This tropical spinach keeps me full for awhile and between the almond milk, mango, pineapple, and banana, it’s tropical, sweet, and creamy.
After drinking a green smoothie, I feel invigorated, refreshed and recharged, and my head is clear and my energy is pure. Coffee wakes me up and gives me energy, but it’s a bolt of semi-jittery energy versus clean, sustained energy.
I love that this tastes like a virgin pina colada. It just happens to be green.
What’s in This Green Smoothie?
To make this healthy spinach smoothie, you’ll need:
- Frozen spinach
- Frozen pineapple
- Frozen mango
- Banana
- Strawberries
- Milk
- Vanilla extract
- Sweetener of choice
How to Make a Green Smoothie
After you have everything in your blender canister, blend until smooth and creamy.
Since I have to wash my blender anyway, I make double the amount I need. I fill freezer-safe platstic cups with the extra portions, freeze them, and when I’m ready for a smoothie for a snack or quick breafast, nuke the cup for a minute.
It saves time not having to remake and then rewash my blender. Having them ready and grab-able prevents me from reaching for cookies, which are equally grab-able.
Can I Add Different Fruits to My Green Smoothie?
There’s no wrong way to make a healthy green smoothie. Substitute any fruit you like. I use frozen because it’s cheaper and that way I don’t have to add ice, which waters it down, but use fresh if that’s what you like. Strawberries, blueberries, mixed berry blends, peaches, and nectarines are favorites.
What Type of Milk Should I Use?
For the milk, try cow’s, goat, soy, rice, almond, coconut, Coconut Milk Kefir, or Homemade Horchata. Or add a dollop of yogurt, Greek yogurt, or frozen yogurt.
Do I Have to Add Spinach?
If you don’t like spinach, try romaine lettuce. Both are very mild and neutral when blended. I buy frozen spinach for the same reason I buy frozen fruit; it’s cheaper, and I can buy in bulk and keep it in my freezer for a rainy day.
How Should I Sweeten Green Smoothies?
I sweeten my smoothies just a bit, but it’s optional. Use agave, honey, maple syrup, granulated sugar, stevia or your favorite sweetener. Sweet Medjool dates are nature’s candy and also work well.
Tips for Making the Best Green Smoothie
A tip for bananas is that I peel over-ripe ones, break them into chunks, and keep them in a big Ziplock in my freezer, making it easy to toss a few chunks into smoothies. When blended, they add plant-based creaminess that’s unparalleled to anything else. Bananas are naturally sweet, inexpensive, and readily available. But if you don’t like bananas or are allergic, simply omit.
If you want to boost the staying power of the smoothie, add fat. Coconut oil, coconut butter, peanut butter, almond/cashew/sunflower seed, or protein powder.
Add coconut flakes, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, or your favorite smoothie add-ins’ to either the blender canister before blending or garnish smoothie with them after blending.
I add homemade vanilla extract to almost everything I make, including smoothies. Extracts like coconut extract, orange extract, or lemon extract are also fun to play around with in smoothies.
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Tropical Green Smoothie
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen spinach
- 1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
- 1 cup frozen mango chunks
- 1 medium ripe banana, peeled (previously frozen in chunks is ideal)
- 1 cup strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or a favorite berry, optional
- 1 cup milk, cow’s, almond, soy, coconut, kefir, horchata
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- sweetener, to taste (sugar, agave, stevia, honey, maple syrup, Medjool dates)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in the canister of a Vita-Mix or blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Serve immediately.
- Pour extra portions into freezer-safe cups and freeze for up to 1 month, thawing before serving (or microwaving for about 30 seconds)
Notes
- All ingredients and amounts are to taste. Use seasonal fruits or vary the quantities of fruits, to taste. I use frozen fruit and prefer it to fresh because it keeps the smoothie cold, without adding ice which waters it down. Frozen is cheaper and I can buy in bulk and keep in the freezer and use when needed.
- Optionally, consider adding a scoop of protein powder, dollop of yogurt for extra protein; add fat for staying power such as coconut oil, coconut butter, peanut butter, almond/cashew/sunflower seed/Cookie Butter. Blend with juice to increase the amount of Vitamin C.
- Add coconut flakes, nuts, seeds, dried fruits, or your favorite smoothie add-ins to either the blender canister before blending or garnish smoothie with them after blending.
- Recipe is vegan (use vegan milk, avoid honey), gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free as written. Take care any ingredients used and added optionally are suitable for your dietary needs.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Averie, I’m not even kidding – as I was reading this this morning, I was drinking a green smoothie! Spinach, frozen peaches, bananas, strawberries, vanilla extract, greek yogurt, and milk. It was perfection! I add about 2 cups of spinach and I am always in awe that I can’t even taste it! I need to add pineapples and mangoes to my next smoothie – I LOVE mangoes! This has to be the greenest smoothie ever – it’s just beautiful! All of your smoothies are.
Not surprising that we both enjoy our smoothies…with very similar ingredients! And yes, try mango. It adds a slight creaminess, almost like a banana! Thanks for the photo compliments :)
WOW! This is a stunning green smoothie. The color alone makes me want to drink it. llllllllllll
I love the tropical flavors in this smoothie, Averie!
This looks so awesome! I love the bright bold green color! I’ve been wanting to get in on the green smoothie bandwagon but I’m so nervous about tasting the spinach! Everyone says that you can’t but it still makes me anxious! I’m just going to have to give it a try and see I guess!
Paige
https://thehappyflammily.blogspot.com
No, it tastes nothing like spinach, actually! It tastes like all the fruit I used!
This may be the greenest smoothie I’ve ever seen. I’m sure all that delicious fruit balances the earthiness of the spinach. Yum!
Totally balances it! And believe it or not, I really didn’t even doctor up the green. It was so green I had to actually tone it down!
I am loving this bright color! What a fresh, delicious smoothie :)
Wooow… these colors are incredible and I bet it super delicious!!!!!!!! I’ve been so lazy lately, need to make smoothies more often again!!! By the way, I’m hosting a link up and would love to see your recipe there!
https://dcinstyle.com/
Oh my gosh! Is this color for real?! Looks nothing like the usual green smoothies I have been seeing on the web. I want to dive head first into this smoothie! Pinning!
And I really didn’t even doctor up the green. It was so green I had to actually tone it down. Some of the smoothies I think you see are because the food oxidizes (turns brown) after awhile..I dunno. Or maybe b/c I use frozen not fresh spinach so it’s greener? But they always look like this for me. Thanks for the pin!
Look at how vibrantly green that smoothie is, wow! I love smoothies but right now it is way too cold for a smoothie, 16 degrees today, brr!
Yikes that is soooo chilly!
This looks awesome! I seriously cannot get over how bright green this is! I love it :).
Gotta love spinach!
All of your beautiful smoothies look dee-liciious! I would probably have to avoid this one, because knowing me, I would inevitably end up with a trail of bright green down my shirt, haha! I would have to leave out the spinach ;)
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Jess
Ugh, I’m in desperate need for a sugar/fat/carb cleanse. I have been SO bad lately, especially with my trip to New York. And honestly, for how creative I can be when it comes to desserts, I am SO not creative when it comes to smoothies for some reason. I always do the same thing: yogurt, banana, and a couple strawberries. Good, but boring. I love that you used spinach in this and am actually shocked it doesn’t taste spinach-y. And I REALLY love that it tastes like a pina colada. You know how I feel about coconut :) I’m so buying this for next week’s breakfast smoothies!
Yay! Well LMK how it goes. A bag of TJ’s frozen spinach is about 1.69 and I get a huge Vita cansister of smoothies out of half a bag, which I then freeze/nuke for later so I am only washing the Vita once every 5 days or so. On busy school mornings with a child it’s the last thing I have time for! And you cannot taste the spianch at all. If my 6 yr old and hubs ASK for them, trust me, it doesnt taste like a vegetable. And as dessert bloggers, the constant influx of sugar and treats is just…ridiculous. Had to press my own reset button :)
Now this is a good looking green smoothie for a change! I love that it is so bright, intensely green. Pale or super dark green drinks are just too unappetizing for me.
I agree! I like the VIBRANT green. The dark usually means kale or chard (not enjoyable for me in smoothies) and pale can mean…wimpy or tons of nuts added. Nice, but not what I am going for usually.
Its so green, I love it! My coffee addiction has gotten bad so I have been wanting to find natural ways to get a energy boost. This recipe looks like it might be it. Plus if it taste like a virgin Pina Colada I’m all in.
My coffee addiction is horrible. It does give me energy; however, I won’t lie I still have to have caffeine or I get headaches! It’s not an energy thing but a headache thing…lol
I am totally jealous of your glass straws by the way ;)
I ran a giveaway for them about a month ago, too! But Ive had some for 5+ yrs. They last forever!
These smoothies are so beautiful! Great photos! Cheers!